Concise A-level lesson notes covering the entire course, made by a sixth form student aiming for top grades. Includes textbook notes, summaries, timelines, tables, graphs and mind maps which clearly set out information.
Why:
- During the mid 1800s, there were around 4 million slaves in the US, almost all in the
South
- Slavery was efficient for the economy
- Views towards slavery greatly contradicted each other
- Abraham Lincoln (Northern Republican) hoped that it would die out
- 11 Southern states broke away from the Union, establishing their own Government
Confederacy
- AL declared war on the South
Key Events:
- after 18 months of conflict, AL liberated slaves from the South (Emancipation
Proclamation)
> destroyed their economy
> liberated slaves joined the North
- South surrenders
- (post- war)
> When it appeared that AL had won the war and support against slavery, he was
assassinated by a Southerner.
Outcome:
> the Union was preserved
> Slavery was abolished nation-wide
,What was the USA like in 1865?
Divided:
- Territories vs States vs Confederacies
- North vs South
> wanting to live separately with different laws
The costs of the Civil War:
- 700 000 American deaths
- AL assassinated
South:
- plantation society and belief in segregation
- moulded by the social and racial attitudes which was reflected in religion, politics
and business
North:
- previous rapid economic modernisation
> booming East Coast seaports, ie Boston + New York
> growth of railroads/ canals
> large numbers of immigrants
> more job opportunities
- society reflected by abolitionist movement
West:
- mostly Indian nations
- prospectors drawn westward by the California Gold Rush (1848-49)
- land acquired by victory in Mexican War
- Disputes between British and American colonists over westward expansion
contributed to the Civil War
- Manifest Destiny
> desire for America to be continental
Two main parties by 1865:
Democratic Party Republican Party
- Liberal - Conservative
- equality - emphasises morals and values
- protects interests of working class - family-centred
- supports govt intervention in the - limited govt intervention in
economy economy
- taxation according to income - limited taxation
, Changes in the USA between 1865 - 1975:
- moving away from ‘isolationism’
- dominated WW1
- Second Industrial Revolution
Successes for the USA:
- dominated WW1
- became the richest and most influential nation by 1920s
Challenges faced:
- Great Depression
- volatile economy
- dragged into WW2 after Pearl Harbour
- riots + anti-war protests
Why is Abraham Lincoln a significant figure in US history?
1. Extremely skilful politician
> setting a precedent that later presidents would build on
2. Successfully prevented the secession of the South/ dissolution of the Union
3. Approval of the transcontinental railway
4. Abolished slavery
5. Enabled African-Americans to gain social freedom and liberties
6. Strengthened Federal Govt
,Issues faced by America in 1865
- How to Unite the north and south
- How to ensure African Americans had rights and liberties
- weakened after the War
- Presidency
Year President Party Vice-President Defeated Candidate
1864 Abraham Lincoln Republican Andrew Johnson George McLellan
1865 Andrew Johnson Democrat
1868 Ulysses S. Grant Republican Schuyler Colfax Horario Seymour
1872 Ulysses S. Grant Republican Henry Wilson Thomas Hendricks
The weaknesses of the Federal Government
- The Federal Government is weak because the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary all
have to agree
- This is to avoid one party/ person having too much power
- States still hold a lot of power
- the Federal Government doesn’t have a large bureaucracy to implement its policies
nationwide
- Fracture party Loyalties
> sub-parties (factions)
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Andrew Johnson
- Democrat
- Military Governor of Tennessee during the war
- War Democrat (support the Union)
- Lincoln’s running mate 1864
- supported emancipation
- President after AL
- Impeached
- Returned to the State
Why was he elected?
- Supported emancipation
- Southerner who supported the North/ criticised the South
His Presidency
- seen as ‘soft’ towards the south
- 4 chaotic years of bitter dispute
> split of Republican Party
> alienated Southerners
- unpopular + massively isolated
- impeached
- moving away from Reconstruction
,- clashed with Congress over Reconstruction
Johnson and Presidential Reconstruction:
- May 1865
- North attempt to install pro-Union govt in Southern states
> 7 states resisted
- Johnson pardoned most ex-confederate soldiers if they gave an oath of allegiance to
the Union
- New state governments could now be established which would accept abolition of
slavery and renounce secession
- Republicans angered by soft approach
- Old plantation aristocracy dominated new state govts
> they introduced ‘black codes’
> restricted lives of ex-slaves
- Several states refused to ratify Constitutional amendment abolishing slavery
Aims Effects
- Wanted to bring South back into - Johnson betrayed hopes of North to
the Union re-build a better ‘South’
- Wanted to avoid Southern - Condemned African-Americans to
resentment second-class status
- Allowed old Confederates to remain
in power (Old plantation aristocracy
dominating new govts
+ pardons for ex-cons)
- December 1865
> Congress meets again
> Republicans determined to end black codes
Congress in 1865:
- Democrats
- Conservative Republicans
- Moderate Republicans
- Radical Republicans
- Johnson needs allies in Congress but angered all factions
- His actions pushed moderate Republicans (who were more likely to support him) to form
Radical alliances
Presidential Veto:
- Feb 1866
> Johnson used the veto to end the Freedmen’s Bureau
- March 1866
> Congress passed Civil Rights Act
> vetoed by AJ
- Jul 1866
> another Freedmen’s Bureau Act
> vetoed by AJ
, Reconstruction Amendments:
- April 1864
> 13th Amendment ended slavery
> ratified Jan 1865
- April 1866
> 14th Amendment guaranteed equal rights + voting rights
- Feb 1869
> 15th Amendment prevented states from using race to remove voting rights
> ratified March 1870
- Congress voted to override AJ’s veto
- Moderate Republicans + Radicals worked together to pass 14th Amendment
> penalised states who prevented 14th Amendment
> Blocked from office anyone who had supported Confederacy
> cancelling earlier pardons
14th Amendment:
- Huge confrontation
- denounced by AJ
- Hated by the South, thinking it was unfair
> purely Northern revenge
> Abolitionists thought it didn’t go far enough
- 1866 mid-term elections
> disaster for AJ
> 2/3 to Republicans
1867 Reconstruction Act:
- vetoed by AJ
- Congress override veto
- 10 southern states placed under military rule until 14th Amendment was adopted
- Radicals wanted more
> ie. Confiscation of Southern property
- AJ obstructed the Act
> chose army officers who were sympathetic to South
The South Resists:
- new laws ignored
- resentment towards north
- Dec 1865
> KKK established by ex-Confederate soldiers
- Major race riots
> Memphis
> New Orleans etc.
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